Performing Gilbert and Sullivan since 1963, Madison Savoyards expands its programming this summer to present Die Fledermaus, or The Bat, a light comic opera by Johann Strauss II. Sung in English and featuring iconic waltzes, this high-spirited operetta is the story of a high-class couple in a romantic stalemate, learning to love again all while playing the fools.

The cast includes emerging artists from across Wisconsin, with Tim Rebers as Eisenstein, Erin K. Bryan as Rosalina, and Michelle Buck as Adele. The production team is led by Director J. Adam Shelton and Music Director Kyle Knox.

Tickets may be purchased online, by calling Campus Arts Ticketing at 608-265-ARTS (2787), or bBy going in-person to the Vilas Hall Box Office or Memorial Union Box Office, during open hours.

Join us for our 4th Annual Free Children's Pre-Show! Sunday, July 22, at 1 PM. Meet our performers, learn about Die Fledermaus and take a backstage tour! For children 12 and under. RSVP madison.savoyards@gmail.com

Performing Gilbert and Sullivan since 1963, Madison Savoyards expands its programming this summer to present Die Fledermaus, or The Bat, a light comic opera by Johann Strauss II. Sung in English and featuring iconic waltzes, this high-spirited operetta is the story of a high-class couple in a romantic stalemate, learning to love again all while playing the fools.

The cast includes emerging artists from across Wisconsin, with Tim Rebers as Eisenstein, Erin K. Bryan as Rosalina, and Michelle Buck as Adele. The production team is led by Director J. Adam Shelton and Music Director Kyle Knox.

Tickets may be purchased online, by calling Campus Arts Ticketing at 608-265-ARTS (2787), or bBy going in-person to the Vilas Hall Box Office or Memorial Union Box Office, during open hours.

Join us for our 4th Annual Free Children's Pre-Show! Sunday, July 22, at 1 PM. Meet our performers, learn about Die Fledermaus and take a backstage tour! For children 12 and under. RSVP madison.savoyards@gmail.com

Following the performance, enjoy a reception provided by one of our amazing Willy Street restaurant partners (past contributors have been Underground Butcher, Let it Ride Cold Brew Coffee, Madison Sourdough, Willy Street Co-Op, Festival Foods, and more!) While you enjoy your snacks, chat with friendly musicians and ask about the performance, the pieces, and the group. We love interacting with our awesome audience!

Performing Gilbert and Sullivan since 1963, Madison Savoyards expands its programming this summer to present Die Fledermaus, or The Bat, a light comic opera by Johann Strauss II. Sung in English and featuring iconic waltzes, this high-spirited operetta is the story of a high-class couple in a romantic stalemate, learning to love again all while playing the fools.

The cast includes emerging artists from across Wisconsin, with Tim Rebers as Eisenstein, Erin K. Bryan as Rosalina, and Michelle Buck as Adele. The production team is led by Director J. Adam Shelton and Music Director Kyle Knox.

Tickets may be purchased online, by calling Campus Arts Ticketing at 608-265-ARTS (2787), or bBy going in-person to the Vilas Hall Box Office or Memorial Union Box Office, during open hours.

Join us for our 4th Annual Free Children's Pre-Show! Sunday, July 22, at 1 PM. Meet our performers, learn about Die Fledermaus and take a backstage tour! For children 12 and under. RSVP madison.savoyards@gmail.com

Madison Opera’s Opera in the Park celebrates its seventeenth year on Saturday, July 21, at 8 pm in Garner Park on Madison’s West Side. The annual free concert of opera and Broadway favorites closes the company’s 2017/18 season and provides an enticing preview of the 2018/19 season.

A Madison summer tradition that often attracts over 15,000 people, Opera in the Park is an enchanting evening of music under the stars, featuring selections from opera and Broadway. Opera in the Park 2018 features soprano Elizabeth Caballero, soprano Brenda Rae, tenor John Lindsey, and baritone Levi Hernandez. Caballero and Hernandez recently starred in Madison Opera’s acclaimed production of Florencia en el Amazonas. Lindsey is making his debut, and will return to the company as the Prince in Rusalka in April. Rae is making her Madison Opera debut. She did her undergraduate work at UW-Madison before going on to Juilliard and an international career; she is singing Cunegonde in Candide at Santa Fe Opera this summer, and is performing at Opera in the Park in between performances there.

The four soloists are joined by the Madison Opera Chorus and Madison Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gary Thor Wedow. The evening is hosted by Madison Opera’s General Director Kathryn Smith and WKOW TV’s 27 News co-anchor George Smith.

“Opera in the Park is the most wonderful and most unique performance we give at Madison Opera ” says Smith. “We have beautiful voices performing music from many centuries in many languages, while thousands of members of our community relax together under the same night sky. It truly shows how music and opera can connect us. I am so grateful to all of our supporters for enabling us to produce this free concert every summer, harnessing the community-building power of music.”

Opera in the Park 2018 features arias and ensembles from Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci, which open the 2018/19 season in November; Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, which will be performed in February; and Dvořák’s Rusalka, which will be performed in April. The program also includes selections from La Bohème, Turandot, La Sonnambula, The Marriage of Figaro,El Niño Judío, La del Soto del Parral, My Fair Lady, Candide, On the Town, and more. As always, this spectacular evening will include one number conducted by the audience with light sticks.

Garner Park is located at 333 S. Rosa Road. Parking is available in the CUNA Mutual Group and University Research Park lots. Attendees are encouraged to bring picnics, blankets, and chairs. Alcohol is permitted but not sold in the park. On the day of the concert, Garner Park will open at 7am. Audience members may not leave items in the park prior to this time. The rain date for Opera in the Park is Sunday, July 22 at 8pm.

Weather policy: We will decide by 5pm on Saturday if we need to postpone the concert to Sunday due to the weather. That decision will be posted on the homepage of our website, through social media, on our voicemail, and through the media.

While Opera in the Park is free to attend, it would not be possible without the generous support of many foundations, corporations, and individuals who believe in the importance of music in the community. Madison Opera is grateful to the sponsors of Opera in the Park 2018: the Berbeewalsh Foundation, the John and Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation, Full Compass Systems, the Raymond B. Preston Family Foundation, University Research Park, Colony Brands, Evjue Foundation the charitable arm of the Capital Times, Hooper Foundation, MG&E Foundation, Johnson Bank, National Guardian Life, Wisconsin Bank & Trust, Wisconsin Arts Board, Dane Arts, and Madison Arts Commission. Madison Magazine, Wisconsin Public Radio, Magic 98, and La Movida are media sponsors for this community event.

RELATED EVENTS

Prelude Dinner at Opera in the Park 2018 | July 21, 2018 | 6pm

This annual fundraiser to benefit Opera in the Park helps support Madison Opera’s free gift to the community. The event includes dinner catered by Upstairs Downstairs, VIP seating at the concert, a complimentary light stick, and a reception with the artists following the performance. Tickets are $145 per person or $1,100 for a table of eight. More information is available at www.madisonopera.org Reservations for the Prelude Dinner are now being taken. For more information please contact Beth Tolles at tolles@madisonopera.org or call (608) 238-8085.

Volunteers: Opera in the Park is a success because of the dedicated volunteers that help us run the event every year. We have a variety of different volunteer tasks that suit a wide range of skill levels, including set-up, clean-up, helping with parking, handing out programs, and selling light sticks. For a full list of tasks and descriptions, click HERE.

Performing Gilbert and Sullivan since 1963, Madison Savoyards expands its programming this summer to present Die Fledermaus, or The Bat, a light comic opera by Johann Strauss II. Sung in English and featuring iconic waltzes, this high-spirited operetta is the story of a high-class couple in a romantic stalemate, learning to love again all while playing the fools.

The cast includes emerging artists from across Wisconsin, with Tim Rebers as Eisenstein, Erin K. Bryan as Rosalina, and Michelle Buck as Adele. The production team is led by Director J. Adam Shelton and Music Director Kyle Knox.

Tickets may be purchased online, by calling Campus Arts Ticketing at 608-265-ARTS (2787), or bBy going in-person to the Vilas Hall Box Office or Memorial Union Box Office, during open hours.

Join us for our 4th Annual Free Children's Pre-Show! Sunday, July 22, at 1 PM. Meet our performers, learn about Die Fledermaus and take a backstage tour! For children 12 and under. RSVP madison.savoyards@gmail.com

Performing Gilbert and Sullivan since 1963, Madison Savoyards expands its programming this summer to present Die Fledermaus, or The Bat, a light comic opera by Johann Strauss II. Sung in English and featuring iconic waltzes, this high-spirited operetta is the story of a high-class couple in a romantic stalemate, learning to love again all while playing the fools.

The cast includes emerging artists from across Wisconsin, with Tim Rebers as Eisenstein, Erin K. Bryan as Rosalina, and Michelle Buck as Adele. The production team is led by Director J. Adam Shelton and Music Director Kyle Knox.

Tickets may be purchased online, by calling Campus Arts Ticketing at 608-265-ARTS (2787), or bBy going in-person to the Vilas Hall Box Office or Memorial Union Box Office, during open hours.

Join us for our 4th Annual Free Children's Pre-Show! Sunday, July 22, at 1 PM. Meet our performers, learn about Die Fledermaus and take a backstage tour! For children 12 and under. RSVP madison.savoyards@gmail.com

Following the performance, enjoy a reception provided by one of our amazing Willy Street restaurant partners (past contributors have been Underground Butcher, Let it Ride Cold Brew Coffee, Madison Sourdough, Willy Street Co-Op, Festival Foods, and more!) While you enjoy your snacks, chat with friendly musicians and ask about the performance, the pieces, and the group. We love interacting with our awesome audience!

The Willy Street Chamber Players: Named 2016 Musicians of the Year by the Well-Tempered Ear Blog, their programming is adventurous, combining beloved classics and new music from contemporary composers.

The Wisconsin Union Theater is bringing classical music to the Memorial Union Terrace with its just-announced Summer Serenades series. Get your fill of unique Madison summer fun with some of the finest and most innovative artists Wisconsin has to offer. All concerts are on Sundays at 5 pm and free!

UW’s annual celebration of centuries-old musical traditions continues with a concert series (titled A Cabinet of Curiosities: Journey to Lübeck) focusing on music from Northern Germany during the Protestant Reformation. Works from this time period would go on to influence Baroque-era composers Handel and Bach as well as activists such as Martin Luther. The series includes performances from local and touring early music ensembles, including Baroque band Quicksilver, the Renaissance re-enactors Piffaro (pictured), and public lectures and dance lessons by university faculty. Find the full schedule at memf.wisc.edu.

press release: The University of Wisconsin–Madison Arts Institute announces the 19th annual Madison Early Music Festival (MEMF) Workshop and Concert Series, “A Cabinet of Curiosities: Journey to Lübeck” from July 7-14, 2018 on the UW–Madison campus. MEMF will explore the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and how the shifts in religion and 16th century printed materials, including music, changed the world. MEMF will feature music from Northern Germany, including Italian and German sacred music from the recently discovered Choir Library at the Marienkirche (St. Mary’s Church) in Lübeck, Germany. MEMF is also presented in partnership with the Mead Witter School of Music.

The musical history of the Marienkirche began in the 14th century, and by the late 1600s included a legacy of organists, including Franz Tunder and Dieterich Buxtehude. Buxtehude attracted musicians from all over Europe, including George Frideric Handel, Georg Phillipp Telemann and Johann Sebastian Bach.

Part student recital, part professional concert. A community centered event in celebration of the viola da gamba and bringing people together for music making.

Now nearing the end of it's first year, the Madison Youth Viol Consort will present music of the Renaissance through baroque, performed on viols of all sizes. Their performance will be followed by a professional performance by guest artists Phillip Serna (Valparaiso University), Charlie Rasmussen (Wisconsin Conservatory), Tim Sterner Miller (UW-Milwaukee), and Eric Miller (Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble). Works will include compositions by Orlando Gibbons, William Byrd, Thomas Tomkins, Tobias Hume, Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe, and Georg Telemann.

Fresco Opera presents this world premiere opera called, "The Queen of the Night". Mozart was given a gift from the immortals to bestow the world with "The Magic Flute" and it's up to us to tell the untold story that has been hidden in secret for over 200 years. The opera is Steeped in Masonic symbolism, secret rituals, and lush musical melodies.

Synopsis

The Queen of the Night lives in the Realm of Night, a place of perpetual darkness. Sarastro, a sorcerer priest from the Realm of Day, enters her world and they fall in love. Their children, Papageno, Pamina, and The Three Ladies, are born from the shadows. They are stalked by Apophis the Serpent, an ancient denizen of the night who hates Day, and is jealous of the QUEENs feelings for Sarastro, and wants to destroy him. Apophis persuades a young prince from the borderlands named TAMINO to enter the Realm of Night on the promise of a reward if he will destroy Sarastro. Night and Day are at odds with each other and a storm of black magic awaits anyone that gets in the way of the Queen's happiness.

Fresco Opera presents this world premiere opera called, "The Queen of the Night". Mozart was given a gift from the immortals to bestow the world with "The Magic Flute" and it's up to us to tell the untold story that has been hidden in secret for over 200 years. The opera is Steeped in Masonic symbolism, secret rituals, and lush musical melodies.

Synopsis

The Queen of the Night lives in the Realm of Night, a place of perpetual darkness. Sarastro, a sorcerer priest from the Realm of Day, enters her world and they fall in love. Their children, Papageno, Pamina, and The Three Ladies, are born from the shadows. They are stalked by Apophis the Serpent, an ancient denizen of the night who hates Day, and is jealous of the QUEENs feelings for Sarastro, and wants to destroy him. Apophis persuades a young prince from the borderlands named TAMINO to enter the Realm of Night on the promise of a reward if he will destroy Sarastro. Night and Day are at odds with each other and a storm of black magic awaits anyone that gets in the way of the Queen's happiness.

Fresco Opera presents this world premiere opera called, "The Queen of the Night". Mozart was given a gift from the immortals to bestow the world with "The Magic Flute" and it's up to us to tell the untold story that has been hidden in secret for over 200 years. The opera is Steeped in Masonic symbolism, secret rituals, and lush musical melodies.

Synopsis

The Queen of the Night lives in the Realm of Night, a place of perpetual darkness. Sarastro, a sorcerer priest from the Realm of Day, enters her world and they fall in love. Their children, Papageno, Pamina, and The Three Ladies, are born from the shadows. They are stalked by Apophis the Serpent, an ancient denizen of the night who hates Day, and is jealous of the QUEENs feelings for Sarastro, and wants to destroy him. Apophis persuades a young prince from the borderlands named TAMINO to enter the Realm of Night on the promise of a reward if he will destroy Sarastro. Night and Day are at odds with each other and a storm of black magic awaits anyone that gets in the way of the Queen's happiness.

Fresco Opera presents this world premiere opera called, "The Queen of the Night". Mozart was given a gift from the immortals to bestow the world with "The Magic Flute" and it's up to us to tell the untold story that has been hidden in secret for over 200 years. The opera is Steeped in Masonic symbolism, secret rituals, and lush musical melodies.

Synopsis

The Queen of the Night lives in the Realm of Night, a place of perpetual darkness. Sarastro, a sorcerer priest from the Realm of Day, enters her world and they fall in love. Their children, Papageno, Pamina, and The Three Ladies, are born from the shadows. They are stalked by Apophis the Serpent, an ancient denizen of the night who hates Day, and is jealous of the QUEENs feelings for Sarastro, and wants to destroy him. Apophis persuades a young prince from the borderlands named TAMINO to enter the Realm of Night on the promise of a reward if he will destroy Sarastro. Night and Day are at odds with each other and a storm of black magic awaits anyone that gets in the way of the Queen's happiness.

Drown'd in one endlesse Day features a world premiere of Wisconsin composer Eric William Barnum, along with works new and old exploring the transformational moments when time seems to stop. Featured works include: the J.S. Bach motet Komm, Jesu, Komm, Antonio Lotti Crucifixus, C.H.H. Parry There is an Old Belief, Eric William Barnum one endlesse Day, Einojuhani Rautavaara Credo, David Lang, I live in Pain, and Last Spring, and Dan Forrest's Entreat me not to Leave You.

Masterworks I

Guest Artists Soh-Hyun Park Altino, violin, Leo Altino, cello

Composed in 1887, the Double Concerto for Violin and Cello, was Brahms’ final work for orchestra. We are thrilled to showcase newly appointed UW violin professor Soh Hyun Altino, and cello virtuoso Leo Altino, as soloists for this soul-searching work. Carl Phillippe Emanuel Bach, the second son of Johann Sebastian Bach, bridges the gap between his father's baroque style and the Rococo style of the classical era. The fourth symphony of his six Hamburg string symphonies points towards the dramatic style known as sturm und drang, (“storm and stress”), of the 1860s and 70s. Arnold Schoenberg composed his two chamber symphonies in the early twentieth century. Having performed his second chamber symphony in 2015, we turn now to his challenging Chamber Symphony No. 1, an intense and provocative work.

Fri., Jan. 19, 2018, 7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 20, 2018, 2017, 8:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Sun., Jan. 21, 2018, 2:30 p.m. – 5:00 pm.

An international star among celebrity violinists, Gil Shaham’s long awaited debut with the Madison Symphony Orchestra comes in a rousing program of three of the most popular and beloved Russian composers of all time. Mr. Shaham, named by Time Magazine “the outstanding American violinist of his generation,” shines in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto followed by Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges Suite and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3. Student rush tickets are available for $12-$18 at the Overture Center’s Box Office on the day of the concert, and a free 30-minute talk by music experts starts one hour before the concert.

Classical Hive presents a free monthly open mic, where professional and amateur classical musicians can play anything they want. From violin solos to opera arias to string quartets and horn concertos, musicians of all levels are welcomed to share their talents.

How can I play?

Everybody who plays classical music is welcome.All skill levels are welcomed and encouraged. Our goal is to provide a fun atmosphere where all can share their talents and not be afraid to be judged. Click the link below to snag your performance spot!

The Oakwood Chamber Players 2017-2018 season series is entitled “Journey.” The concerts will both be held at the Oakwood Center for Arts and Education, 6209 Mineral Point Road.

Remaining concerts will take place on January 13 and 14, March 10 and 11, and May 19 and 20.

The Oakwood Chamber Players are a group of Madison-area professional musicians who have rehearsed and performed at Oakwood Village for over 30 years. Tickets may be purchased with cash or personal checks at the door: $25 general admission, $20 seniors and $5 students. Visit www.oakwoodchamberplayers.com or call (608) 230-4316 for more information.

The Wisconsin Chamber Choir will present their holiday concert, “Peace on Earth,” Saturday, December 16, 7:30 pm at the First Unitarian Society Atrium Auditorium, 900 University Bay Drive, Madison, WI

The holiday message of peace and good will to all people resonates across the centuries. Tragically, the proclamation, “Peace on earth,” is every bit as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago. The centerpiece of the concert is Gerald Finzi’s exquisite retelling of the Christmas story, In terra pax, for choir, soloist, and chamber orchestra. Baritone Brian Leeper and soprano Ann Baltes are among the featured soloists, performing with members of Sinfonia Sacra, the WCC’s professional orchestra.

Complementing Finzi’s music are two other works with instrumental accompaniment: Mendelssohn’s moving prayer for peace, Verleih uns Frieden, and an energetic Gloria from J.S. Bach’s Mass in A Major. Several more recent works bring the concert’s message put o date, including Libby Larson’s Cry Peace and Giles Swayne’s haunting Winter Solstice Carol. A varied selection of carol arrangements round out the program, including a resplendent setting of Silent Night by one of the WCC’s favorite composers, Peter Bloesch.

Founded in 1998, the Wisconsin Chamber Choir has established a reputation for excellence in the performance of oratorios by Bach, Mozart, and Brahms; a cappella works from various centuries; and world premieres. Artistic Director Robert Gehrenbeck, who is celebrating his ten year anniversary with the WCC this season, has been hailed by critics for his vibrant and emotionally compelling interpretations of a wide variety of choral masterworks. Advanced tickets for the December 16th performances are available for $20 ($10 for students) from www.wisconsinchamberchoir.org, via Brown Paper Tickets, or at Orange Tree Imports and Willy Street Coop (all three locations). Tickets will also be available at the door for $25 ($10 for students).

The Messiah returns for its eighth year at Blackhawk Church on Madison's west side. We welcome the return of last year's outstanding vocal quartet who knock our socks off, and the combined Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Chorus and Festival Choir of Madison under directors Scott Foss and Sergei Pavlov. This seminal holiday tradition of Handel's masterpiece is a must for everyone.

Multiple Grammy-Award winner Sharon Isbin joins the Madison Symphony for a thrilling performance. Her internationally-acclaimed virtuosity and versatility is on display in this program of contrasts: the jazz idioms of the American Brubeck alongside the lush romanticism of the Spaniard Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. These works are followed by two ballet suites: Copland’s Billy the KidSuite and Falla’s Three-Cornered Hat. Student rush tickets are available for $12-$18 at the Overture Center Box Office on the day of the concert. Enjoy a 30-minute talk by music experts starting one hour before each concert in Overture Hall, free to ticketholders.

Multiple Grammy-Award winner Sharon Isbin joins the Madison Symphony for a thrilling performance. Her internationally-acclaimed virtuosity and versatility is on display in this program of contrasts: the jazz idioms of the American Brubeck alongside the lush romanticism of the Spaniard Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. These works are followed by two ballet suites: Copland’s Billy the KidSuite and Falla’s Three-Cornered Hat. Student rush tickets are available for $12-$18 at the Overture Center Box Office on the day of the concert. Enjoy a 30-minute talk by music experts starting one hour before each concert in Overture Hall, free to ticketholders.

Music has always had a way to touch our souls the way other things cannot. When paired with poetry that speaks honestly to the human condition, it can lift us out of the merely abstract, touching our souls and offering insight on how we can be better at being human and humane.

The Chorale offers a choral song-cycle by composer Gwyneth Walker on autobiographical poems by Virginia Hamilton Adair, as well as three works by composer Elizabeth Alexander: “How to Sing Like a Planet”; “If You Can Walk You Can Dance”; and “Finally On My Way To Yes.”

Also on the program is Joshua Shank’s “Rules To Live By,” a heartfelt and moving piece whose text was written by the commissioning ensemble.